A place to find the most amazing Latin American folk tales

The Myth of the Condor

Once upon a time there was an old shepherd who lived with his beautiful young daughter in a little village at the top of the Andes. The girl pastured the sheep, llamas and other animals from her father’s farm.

Suddenly a young man started to visit her at the mountains. He went to see her every day dressed in a very elegant way. Black suite and black hat (like if he was going to some sort of gala in the Andes) and a beautiful shiny white scarf. They hang out together during the day when he visited while she pastured the animals.

Eventually they became close friends and at one of this friendly visits he asked the girl to play a game. “If you pick me up, I’ll pick you up”. She trusted the man and lifted her arms facing him. He grabbed her and by making a quick jump into the sky he turned into a magnificent condor and took the girl to his nest.

They lived together in his nest for a long time. He brought her food and took care of her and she fell in love with him and gave him a beautiful baby. The girl loved them both but she missed her father deeply and cried every night thinking about how lonely her poor old dad was.

One day she saw a humming bird passing by and asked him for help. The bird would go to the village and bring her father to rescue her and her child and in reward the humming bird will have every flower in her dad’s farm for himself. The cheerful bird accepted and on the next day the girl’s father was there with a dead donkey to distract the Condor while they rescued the girl and her child.

Once they were gone and the Condor had finished eating he returned to his nest and instead of his family he found two green frogs in their place. The humming bird was waiting for him there and told him that the girl and their son turn into frogs right in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do.

Legend says that now the Condor watches over the Andes trying to find a new girl to bring to his nest and just once in a while when he sees someone as beautiful as the shepherd’s daughter he becomes an elegant young man and visits them trying to trick them into playing a game with him.